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<br />Item No: 11B <br />Meeting Date: Oct 22, 2012 <br />Type of Business: Reports <br />City of Mounds View Staff Report <br />To: Honorable Mayor and City Council <br />From: James Ericson, City Administrator <br />Item Title/Subject: Administrator Report REVISED <br /> <br />1. MN ASAP D iscussion <br /> <br />Mounds View resident Bill Urbanski recently approached the City Council and requested <br />that it consider adopting a resolution to urge our MN congressional delegation and the <br />President to “shift federal funding priorities from war and the interests of the few, to <br />meeting the essential needs of us all.” The organization Mr. Urbanski represents, MN <br />Arms Spending Alternatives Project (MN ASAP), would like local groups, organizations, <br />agencies, cities, etc., to adopt a resolution highlighting the costs of war and how much MN <br />taxpayers have spent funding the war efforts. After listening to Mr. Urbanski’s <br />presentation, the Council asked me to research some of the data and report back to them. <br /> <br />The MN ASAP resolution relies on statistics from the National Priorities Project, a self- <br />described nonprofit, nonpartisan federal budget research organization. I was unable to <br />readily confirm or “fact-check” the data provided although I did not spend a great amount of <br />time attempting to do so. It was clear from the beginning that I was not in a position to <br />assess and analyze the Pentagon’s budget or levels of military spending associated with <br />the war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. <br /> <br />One of the Council members asked if the Council had a policy regarding taking stands on <br />matters of the State or Nation. I indicated that while no policy exists to my knowledge, the <br />City Council has a long-standing record of being apolitical—NOT taking a position on such <br />matters unless there was a direct and tangible relationship to the City of Mounds View. <br />Staff requests direction from the City Council regarding the MN ASAP resolution. <br /> <br /> <br />2. Continued Charter Commission Discussion <br /> Attached to this memo is an email sent to Charter Commission members Friday afternoon <br />regarding their proposed changes to Chapter 8 of the City Charter. I had many questions <br />and pointed out a few concerns which I hope they will consider. The next Charter <br />Commission meeting is scheduled for November 14th. <br /> <br />Respectfully submitted, <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />________________________ <br />James Ericson <br />City Administrator <br /> <br />